Need A New Mantra? Try This One.
Written by Terri Crosby for In Care of Relationships
I’ve got a new Mantra. And I’m willing to share! It happened accidentally. Didn’t even mean to do it. Here it is for your “trying on” pleasure: I’M A NEW PERSON, EVERY SINGLE SECOND. This means — basically, essentially, at the core — that we adopt the point of view, “Why not leave my baggage from the past in the past. What about now? What about this moment and what I’d really like to do, be or have going forward?” What I think I can’t do — that I want to do? This mantra encourages and high fives us to be done with singing songs of the past. I mean what the heck! How in the world does hauling “I can’t” or “I didn’t” from the past improve the quality of life? It doesn’t. It’s a whole lot more fun to sing songs of progress.What Happened…
I’ve got to tell you what happened that just knocked me over and started me on this new mantra. And the event itself is not even hugely important, as epic events go, but it did illustrate something pretty big for me.
Funny how that works — a small personal event makes a huge impact.
I’ve been a coffee drinker for my entire life. I gotta have my java in the morning, first thing. French Press, with a teensy bit of cream. I don’t like much cream, just enough to suggest creaminess. Then that beautiful dark roast comes through.
So this past Monday morning, I woke up and didn’t want coffee. It just didn’t sound good. That surprised me. It seemed so odd.
“Wow,” I thought to myself. “This is really, really weird. What if I get one of those headaches and have a miserable ouchy-in-the-head kind of day without my coffee?”
But I decided to take the risk. And guess what?
Nothing happened, except that I felt good.
I didn’t miss coffee.
Didn’t crave it.
Didn’t need it.
Didn’t drink it.
Wow.
You just don’t know what that did to my head — to my reality about how certain things are naturally going to be difficult, based on past experience or understanding.
You have to know that I was the kind of person who would drink coffee upon wakening. Like right away, first thing, get out of bed, do not pass go, trudge to the kitchen in my pajamas, make coffee, drink the darn coffee, it’s hot, it’s substantial, it’s my unwavering tradition, a routine, a necessity — give me my coffee! Even if I was going out for breakfast, I would still have coffee before I left the house.
I changed an age old habit, and didn’t even try. I truly like the feeling of not needing coffee — that I have choices.
This whole experience begs the question — what else could I change ever so effortlessly, just by taking the leap? Maybe it’s time to be done with all of that seriously serious stuff about what we can and can’t do??!!?? Or how hard it will be to change?
Time
for a blastoff!
That’s all I have to say this week! That’s it in a nutshell!
And how about you? What has changed for you lately, and how did it happen? Was it easy? Surprising? Fantastic?
Do tell!
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For more information about In Care of Relationships, click here.
About Terri Crosby — I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains with Eric, my partner of 14 years, two cats and a dog, and as many flowers and vegetables as I can plant.
It is my experience that children are born to teach (remind) parents, not the other way around. I’ve learned more from my daughter MacKenzie than from all other humans combined.
I’m in favor of wandering time in the morning, listening to the birds calling to each other in the woods all around me.
Making fresh food is one of life’s big yummy pleasures, along with singing – especially creating heavenly, improvisational, prayerful, meditational sound.
I believe that poet Mary Oliver writes the best bedtime stories available on Earth.
Tags: changes, changing a habit, coffee, In Care of Relationships, relationship, relationships, Terri Crosby
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shiner
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” I mean what the heck! How in the world does hauling “I can’t” or “I didn’t” from the past improve the quality of life?”
Amen Sister, and i laughed out loud when I read this.
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Terri Crosby
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It’s so visual, isn’t it (hauling the past into one’s now) and I’m glad you laughed out loud! But then you’re easy that way, and that’s a VERY good thing! So glad to be your giggling buddy.
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